Cruyff put the joy back into football, guided the game into a new era and loved to do different things. Even investors have come up with a creative way of honoring the Ajax legend.
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Dutch soccer legend Johan Cruyff, who lit up the game in the 1970s and exported the Netherlands’ revolutionary creative play, died on Thursday in Barcelona. After taking Ajax to the European Cup Winner’s Cup in 1987, Cruyff moved to Barcelona in 1988 and won a record 11 trophies there in his 12 years.
While Cruyff made his name at Ajax, where he started at the age of 17, he made his football home in Barcelona. “Right now, I have the feeling that I am 2-0 up in the first half of a match that has not finished yet”.
“Goodbye to one of the legends of the history of football”, said Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos.
Unquestionably the best player in the world in that period, he was voted three times victor of the prestigious Ballon d’Or so that he is now often mentioned alongside the pair widely considered the finest to have played the game, Pele and Diego Maradona.
74 – At the height of his playing career, Cruyff captained Holland at the 1974 World Cup finals, where they were eventually defeated by hosts West Germany in the final.
The club said fans could pay tribute to Cruyff from 08:00GMT (4pm Malaysian time) on Saturday at the Camp Nou Stadium where a special condolence area would be set aside in the grandstand.
On Friday, the current Dutch national team will play a friendly against France in Amsterdam. “He was, without a doubt, the best coach I ever had”.
“I knew him as a player and again as a Barcelona coach”.
Impossible. Naturally we have players such as Messi, Xavi and Iniesta but they are attached to the idea that Johan Cruyff set up.
“The Netherlands has lost a unique and genial star who gave sport a new face”.
Cruyff had revealed in October 2015 that he had lung cancer. He coached Barcelona to their first European Cup triumph in 1992 and helped the Dutch reach the 1974 World Cup final.
Obviously, tributes have been flooding in for the football icon, but some have been better received than others. “I have been very lucky to have him as my manager and a friend “.
“The memories I have of him are on the golf course, when we could forget about the football and enjoy the sunshine”, added Toshack.
As a player, Cruyff was the embodiment of Dutch “total football”, a fluid style of play focused on ball possession and rapid passing, and involving all members of the team in both attack and defence.
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“The kind of football he played changed the game and still has an impact today”.
